Google Docs app now lets you collaborate in real time on Android

Android users get an update to Google Docs that will make simultaneous editing …

This morning, Google announced some added features to its Google Docs app for Android that will surely make frequent users of the online office suite happy: most notably, the updated version will now allow collaboration on documents from Android phones or tablets. Previously, Google Docs opened in the app were restricted to a single user, but mobile users can now see real-time updates to shared text.

Other features now available to owners of Android devices include rich text editing, so you can bold and italicize text, highlight sections of your document, or indent paragraphs. The UI in the app has changed a bit, and the rich-text editing icons at the top are simple and scroll in a single bar across the top of the document.

Google also now permits “pinch to zoom” across all types of items in its app (like presentations, PDFs, and spreadsheets, as well as documents) so you can control how much larger or smaller the text appears, unlike the previous Google Docs interface which basically gave you two options: a double tap to zoom in, and a double tap to zoom out.

Google's app still doesn't allow you to collaborate on spreadsheets in real-time (although multiple people can open the spreadsheet, you still have to click "refresh" to see any changes made by others). The new mobile collaboration tool follows an update about a month ago that permitted users to view, but not edit, Google docs offline on mobile devices.

Very cool, my work could have used this a couple months ago when we were compiling a report within a spreadsheet that required various people to input data (granted, you still can't actually do that). Why does anyone still use office again?

Very cool, my work could have used this a couple months ago when we were compiling a report within a spreadsheet that required various people to input data (granted, you still can't actually do that). Why does anyone still use office again?

They still have virtual keyboards. I couldn't imagine doing any heavy document work on a virtual keyboard.

Asus have made a big splash with their Transformer series of tablets that can optionally dock to a keyboard that makes it into something of a laptop while seriously boosting battery life (with all the smarts behind the screen, all the space under the keyboard can be dedicated to battery space).

Lenovo is coming with something similar soon.

Android has since 3.x supported USB keyboards, mice and gaming devices. And the same over bluetooth as well.

They still have virtual keyboards. I couldn't imagine doing any heavy document work on a virtual keyboard.

If you think that this is intended to replace the desktop, you're being silly. It's a great augmentation though.

Just the other day I got an email alert with some information that I needed to put into a spreadsheet I keep. I'm standing in my friend's kitchen making nachos, and I edit a google spreadsheet with the required data. Took 3 seconds. It's the future, and it's awesome. It's incredibly convenient to at least have the option to access and edit all of your documents from your phone, I can't see why you think that isn't a net benefit.

Most of the discussion has been about phones & tablets, but isn't this essentially a docs functionality that works everywhere; you know, like desktops too? I'm not minimizing or belittling working from tablets or the nachos-in-the-kitchen-spreadsheet thing. It IS the future & it IS awesome!

But just as you can collaborate from the kitchen or the car (as a passenger!), if you've got 8 different people collaborating from 4 different states & 3 different countries (or even just 6 different floors in the same building), the smartphone & tablet angle is great, but it's almost "just" gravy, in a sense.

Nice to see this app. Would be very helpful to many of us. Meanwhile, I've come across some new tools which looks very interesting and handy, for collaboration.One such tool is CollateBox http://www.collatebox.com/ . Just registered with this one found their video looks neat..Eagerly waiting for this one.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KruqWWiw1s

I don't know what your work is, but there are legal and security issues with using services hosted by third parties like Google. Unless you have a contract with Google (or Dropbox, or Apple, ...), nothing you should legally keep from public view should go on their servers.